A Natural Leap Forward

Musicians

Paul Kaiser – Drummer (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10)
Christopher Alis – Drummer (5, 9)
Jeff Van Dyke – Drum Programming (6)
Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Synths: Jody Whitesides

Credits

Writer: Jody Whitesides
Publisher: Too Much Music
Producer: Jody Whitesides
Mixer: Jody Whitesides
Mastering: George Leger III

Notes

Photo: John Michael Kane
Editing: John Michael Kane

Online Connection:

Meaning: The internet is the wild west and in some respect should remain so.
Trivia bit #1: I used to be nicknamed “dot com”. So I thought it would be appropriate to write about connecting with people online.
Trivia bit #2: First time I used a tremolo effect on a vocal.

Age:

Meaning: Everyone thinks they’re going to stay eternally young.
Trivia bit #1: I think of this as my version of Dream On by Aerosmith.
Trivia bit #2: I really dig the chord progression in the verses, I copped the vibe from an old School House Rock tune Little 12 Toes.

Can’t Save:

Meaning: No matter what, earth will win when we destroy it.
Trivia bit #1: I’m into being green.
Trivia bit #2: My last tour bus was converted to run on used veggie oil.

Scratch:

Meaning: Defacing history isn’t cool.
Trivia bit #1: Came up with the idea of this song while visiting the graveyard that Jim Morrison is buried in.
Trivia bit #2: Shortly after this song was written and recorded I actually met Ray Manzerek and opened a show for him.

Killing In Blue:

Meaning: Government generally oversteps their own bounds especially in times of war.
Trivia bit #1: Chris Hellstrom (guitarist who plays live with me) called it his favorite song I’ve ever written (up to that point).
Trivia bit #2: I really don’t feel like I’ve done the song correctly – which contradicts bit #1.

Say Goodbye:

Meaning: Everything can go wrong, but if you’re resolved – you remain standing.
Trivia bit #1: Written and demoed just hours before the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
Trivia bit #2: Is a very energetic song to end a show on.

Downsized:

Meaning: Watching companies downsize their workforce strictly to fatten the CEO’s wallet is disgusting.
Trivia bit #1: Wanted to make this a bigger guitar song.
Trivia bit #2: The idea for this was sparked by the band Choking Ghost.

Social Standard:

Meaning: Examining the mindset of people that do insanely stupid shit on TV.
Trivia bit #1: The opening vocal thing was a throwback to the concept of Max Headroom.
Trivia bit #2: I wrote this after getting tired of hearing about so many high speed chases in Los Angeles.

Leads To Gold:

Meaning: A look at some relationships that defy a big age difference.
Trivia bit #1: I really wanted to record this with an acoustic baritone guitar – but failed to do so.
Trivia bit #2: I was really happy with the feeling of the chorus and Christopher’s drumming.

Never Too Late:

Meaning: Time marches on for everyone, so buck up and deal with it.
Trivia bit #1: The guitar part in the verse makes me very happy to play it.
Trivia bit #2: Was the first song where I made some really cool choices with sound FX linking up with real playing from humans.